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The Mouse and the Mask

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The Mouse and the Mask
Studio album by
Danger Doom
ReleasedOctober 10, 2005 (EU)
October 11, 2005 (United States)
Recorded2003-2005
GenreUnderground hip hop
Length39:51
Label
ProducerDanger Mouse
Danger Doom chronology
The Mouse and the Mask
(2005) 		Occult Hymn
(2006)
MF Doom chronology
Mm..Food
(2004) 		The Mouse and the Mask
(2005) 		Occult Hymn
(2006)
Danger Mouse chronology
The Grey Album
(2004) 		The Mouse and the Mask
(2005) 		Occult Hymn
(2006)
Alternative cover
European cover
Singles from The Mouse and the Mask
  1. "Sofa King"
    Released: October 25, 2005
  2. "Old School"
    Released: July 10, 2006 (UK Only)

The Mouse and the Mask is the debut album by Danger Doom, a collaboration between Danger Mouse and MF Doom, released on October 11, 2005, by independent punk label Epitaph Records in the United States. This marked the fourth hip hop release for the label. It was also released by Lex Records in the UK on October 17, 2005, with different cover art.

Concept and history

The album is composed almost entirely of raps by MF DOOM, performed over beats created by Danger Mouse sampling music from various television shows airing on Cartoon Network's programming block Adult Swim. The album was heavily promoted by the network prior to its release.

"Sofa King" was released as a 12-inch single on November 4, 2005, and was followed by "Old School" on July 10, 2006. A video for "A.T.H.F." has also been made.

Comedian Dave Chappelle created an iTunes Celebrity Playlist and selected the Danger Doom track "Mince Meat" for his Block Party Picks. He stated, "Two very consistently good artists collaborate to make my head nod. DOOM, Mouse - Thank You. Wherever you are, nice album." MF DOOM mentions Chappelle in the song "Peoples, Places, and Things" (called "Name Dropping" on his CD "Live from Planet X"). DOOM says "Rap cats act brave as hell/Get on the mic and turn 'Gangsta!' on some 'yeah, see' like Dave Chappelle", in reference to a bit Chappelle performed in his stand up "Killin' Them Softly".

MF DOOM disses MF Grimm in this album by referring to the Monsta Island Czars (aka M.I.C.) as 'Midgets Into Crunk' in the song "El Chupa Nibre" (on the paraphrased remix version the line is changed to 'Monkeys Into Crime'). Grimm responded by releasing an entire DOOM diss track, entitled "Book of Daniel" (which concludes his 2006 triple album American Hunger), in which he mainly accuses Doom of having sold out.

"Old School" features a mix of Keith Mansfield's song "Funky Fanfare," and "Space Ho's" sample Mansfield's "Morning Broadway."

The rap that Meatwad performs at the end of "Bada Bing" is a verse from "Beef Rapp", the first song on MF DOOM's album MM..Food.

As of November 6, 2008 the album has sold 170,081 copies.[1]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic81/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
The Austin Chronicle[4]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[5]
The Guardian[6]
Los Angeles Times[7]
Pitchfork7.8/10[8]
Rolling Stone[9]
SpinB[10]
Uncut[11]
The Village VoiceA−[12]

The Mouse and the Mask was well received by critics, scoring 81 out of 100 on the review aggregator Metacritic, indicating "universal acclaim".[2] Spin ranked it 25 on their "40 Best Albums Of 2005", and said that "together, these two dudes are more animated than the cartoon characters who pop up on this disc.".[13] Entertainment Weekly gave it an A-, calling it a "hip-hop tour-de-farce".[5] Magnet said "wading deep into hip hop's rich history, they deliver a record that conjures the classics without sounding willfully retro". The Wire called it "[a] frenetic comedy both above and of a kind with its fratboy origins, admirably absurdist in some respects and coolly demented in others" and Vibe similarly said "[a] headphone-friendly soundtrack...[of] deliciously demented narratives." Mojo gave it 3 out of 5 stars, noting "the stoned, late-night hilarity is grounded by some deft soundtrack-funk production from Dangermouse..."[14]

Track listing

Notes:

No.TitlePerformer(s)Length
1."El Chupa Nibre"MF Doom, Master Shake2:40
2."Sofa King"MF Doom, Aqua Teen Hunger Force2:57
3."The Mask"MF Doom, Ghostface Killah, Brak and Zorak3:12
4."Perfect Hair"MF Doom, Master Shake2:03
5."Benzie Box"MF Doom, Cee Lo Green3:00
6."Old School"MF Doom, Talib Kweli, Aqua Teen Hunger Force2:40
7."A.T.H.F"MF Doom, Aqua Teen Hunger Force3:03
8."Basket Case"MF Doom, the cast of Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law2:35
9."No Names"MF Doom, the cast of Sealab 20213:07
10."Crosshairs"MF Doom, Brak, Thundercleese2:27
11."Mince Meat"MF Doom2:33
12."Vats of Urine"MF Doom, Mooninites1:48
13."Space Ho's"MF Doom, Space Ghost3:29
14."Bada Bing"MF Doom, Aqua Teen Hunger Force4:35

Release details

Country Date Label Format Catalog
United States October 11, 2005 Epitaph Records CD 86775
LP 86775
United Kingdom October 17, 2005 Lex Records CD LEX036CD
LP LEX036LP

Chart positions

Chart (2005) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard 200 41
U.S. Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums 31
U.S. Top Independent Albums 2

Personnel

  • Mark Linkous – bass guitar (track 3)
  • Money Mark – keyboards (track 9)
  • Jason DeMarco – executive producer
  • Michael Schmelling – photography
  • Virginia Consea – photography
  • George Ella Rose – artwork
  • Jacob Escobedo – artwork
  • Gene Grimaldi – mastering

References

  1. ^ "Babygrande U.S. Sales Figures as of Thursday, November 6, 2008". Archived from the original on 2004-08-19. Retrieved 2009-03-17.
  2. ^ a b "Reviews for The Mouse And The Mask by DangerDoom". Metacritic. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  3. ^ Bush, John. "The Mouse and the Mask – Danger Doom". AllMusic. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  4. ^ Gabriel, Robert (November 18, 2005). "Three 6 Mafia, Ellay Khule, E-40, B-Legit, and Dangerdoom". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  5. ^ a b Browne, David (October 10, 2005). "The Mouse and the Mask". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on June 23, 2018. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  6. ^ Lowe, Steve (October 14, 2005). "DangerDoom, The Mouse and the Mask". The Guardian. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  7. ^ Baker, Soren (November 13, 2005). "Cartoons, yes, but never a lampoon". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  8. ^ Macia, Peter (October 11, 2005). "Danger Doom: The Mouse and the Mask". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  9. ^ Ringen, Jonathan (October 6, 2005). "The Mouse and the Mask : Danger Doom". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 17, 2007. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  10. ^ Harris, Keith (October 2005). "DangerDoom: The Mouse & the Mask". Spin. 21 (10): 133–34. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  11. ^ "Danger Doom: The Mouse and the Mask". Uncut (102): 108. November 2005.
  12. ^ Christgau, Robert (November 1, 2005). "Consumer Guide: Christians and Heathens". The Village Voice. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  13. ^ https://www.spin.com/2005/12/40-best-albums-2005/?page=0%2C1 Spin Best Albums 2005
  14. ^ "Danger Doom: The Mouse and the Mask". Mojo (146): 120. January 2006.
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